If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone call American Single Malt Whiskey “American Scotch,” I’d have enough to fund a much larger collection.
But that collection would be funded by misconception at best.
There’s no such thing as “American Scotch.”
The first problem with the phrase is its impossibility. Scotch is, by definition, Scottish. American whiskey is, also by definition, American. The two are separated not just by geography (including a really big ocean), but by culture, history, and law.
The second problem is the implication. Calling it “American Scotch” suggests mimicry, as if American whiskey are trying to counterfeit Scotch, the liquor equivalent of a “Guuci” bag sold on a New York street corner.
Yes, many American Single Malt Whiskey distillers were, and are, inspired by Scotch. Some even produce spirits that taste remarkably like Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 10th Street Distilling’s Peated Single Malt, one of 2025’s Seven Days of American Single Malt Whiskey selections, is one such expression. Peated Scottish barley, copper pot stills, and ex-bourbon barrels produce a whiskey that, if you closed your eyes, could have originated on Islay—except it was distilled and bottled in California instead.
This is the exception for American Single Malt Whiskey, not the rule. Even as American distillers draw from Scottish distillation traditions, they’re forging a distinct identity, represented in unique flavors that carry a uniquely American sense of place.
American Single Malt Whiskey is not a derivative of Scotch whisky, but a definitive spirit in its own right.
The differences matter. Beyond geography, American single malt distillers have far more creative freedom than their Scottish counterparts. There is no pot still requirement, no three-year aging mandate. These liberties allow American distillers to experiment, to innovate, and to create a market on its own, separate from Scotch whiskey (and from bourbon too).
In Tucson, Arizona, Whiskey Del Bac is doing more than crafting an identity; they are teasing the Scotch whisky world aong the way.
If you meet the team behind Whiskey Del Bac, you would know the teasing was likely not intentional—or, at least, not ill-intentioned. The founder, Stephen Paul, is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. He built the distillery out of his garage, driven by curiosity and a history of handicraft.
Whiskey Del Bac produces both smoked and unsmoked barley malt whiskeys, but the smoke you experience from this desert distillery is nothing like what you’d experience on the Isle of Islay.
That is, of course, intentional. The distillery’s mantra—mesquited, not peated—signals a style that is cheeky, bold, and unmistakably Southwestern. Heat replaces humidity. Dust replaces brine. It tells you exactly who Whiskey Del Bac is, but it’s also a little cheeky, an exaggerated wink to Scotch drinkers, Scotch haters, and the Scotch Whisky world itself.
Provoking, or even outright offending, the Scotch Whisky industry is something of a rite of passage for American Single Malt Whiskey distilleries. Whiskey Del Bac earned their stripes in 2025, when the Scotch Whisky Association—the official body charged with protecting Scotch Whiskey, sent them a cease and desist letter targeting the name of the distillery’s annual winter release.
The concern? That a saguaro-cactus-adorned bottle, clearly labeled as American Single Malt, might somehow confuse someone into thinking it was Scotch simply because it was named “Ode to Islay.”
The letter, though inconvenient in timing (having landed just weeks before the expression’s release), was important. It indicated that Whiskey Del Bac had arrived. The Arizona distillery is no longer too small, too obscure or too inconsequential to be ignored.
As Whiskey Del Bac grew, so did the scrutiny—and so did the SWA’s efforts to distance its whisky wards from these desert-made spirits.
So, no, American Single Malt Whiskey is not “American Scotch.”
A cease-and-desist aside, the proof with Whiskey Del Bac’s spirits is in the sip. That’s true with the now-renamed “Ode” and with the 2025 Private Barrel Club Blend American Single Malt Whiskey in my glass.
Tasting Whiskey Del Bac’s Club Blend 2025 American Single Malt Whiskey
Members of Whiskey Del Bac’s Whiskey Club aren’t just fans of the spirit; they’re insiders. Currently only available in Arizona but with plans to expand, the club offers members special access to invitation-only events and distillery-only releases.
The Club Blend 2025, is one of those releases: an exclusive, cask-strength blend of six barrels, with just 282 bottles filled in total. Number 152 is in my hands.
Four of the barrels held the “Classic” whiskey, the distillery’s unsmoked spirit. Two were filled with Dorado, the mesquited-not-peated single malt made with barley malted and mesquite-smoked on site. All six barrels were on their second use—a departure from the distillery’s usual first-fill approach—and aged for at least three years, making this the second-oldest American Single Malt Whiskey they’ve ever released.
Yes, three years in the barrel makes this spirit the second-oldest American Single Malt Whiskey from Whiskey Del Bac. Whiskey maturation just hits differently in the Southern Arizona desert—especially for a distillery that, as a rule, pours its new make spirit into virgin 15-gallon barrels.
That’s not even the biggest surprise about this bottle.
You might be tempted to think that a one-third ratio of smoked to unsmoked malt means a light smoky flavor. You would be absolutely incorrect. The aroma of mesquite, reminiscent of desert barbecues and warm nights, appears at the first pop of the cork. It carries with it a scent of sweet vanilla and baking spices, warm and inviting.
On the palate, the 126-proof spirit amplifies that warmth, with campfires and cream, crème brûlée, and sticky pastries. The flavors are bold, rich, and lingering, coating the tongue and lighting a fire all the way down.
It’s not fair—or honest, or complete—for me to explain the flavor of Whiskey Del Bac in this way.
To me, this whiskey is a dark cigar and a low fire under a clear night sky, stars glowing and sparkling above, unhindered by the glow of streetlights. It’s long evenings at Batch, the downtown whiskey bar, sipping on Scotch and American whiskeys as I lick the sticky icing of a house-made donut off my fingers. It’s too-hot nights and the not-so-distant howl of coyotes and the way that the brown-and-green desert explodes into color with the spring bloom.
At its best, whiskey isn’t just a drink, a portal to drunkenness, or a social lubricant. It is experience and memory, deeply personal yet meant to be cherished, savored, and shared.
Sláinte, y’all.
In My Glass
Club Blend 2025 American Single Malt Whiskey
Whiskey Del Bac – Tucson, Arizona
63% ABV; 3+ Years Old
On My Desk
1961 Olivetti Lettera typewriter
Read More from the Seven Days of American Single Malt Whiskey 2026
- Day One: McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey
- Day Two: New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt
- Day Three: Stranahan’s Mountain Angel 12 Year
- Day Four: Redwood Empire Foggy Burl Single Malt Whiskey
- Day Five: Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential Signature Blend (Batch 017)
A Note of Gratitude
This bottle of Whiskey Del Bac Club Blend 2025 was sent to me by the team at in Tucson Thank you all for sending such a beautiful bottle of whiskey!
The Whisky Type 
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